1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a machine and process for producing a laminate structure, and more particularly, it relates to a machine and process for coating a base material, such as a fabric, with a two dimensional layer of fibers, then bonding the fibers to the base material by the use of resin in order to make an impregnated laminate structure. This laminate may be used as is; or, by way of example, it may be further processed such as by applying a color coating to each side of the material in order to make it into a colored laminate material.
2. Background of the Invention
The manufacturing and processing of laminate materials is well taught in the prior art with thousands of patents and hundreds of books being published on the subject. In fact, in certain specific fields, such as the manufacture of camouflage materials, a laminate structure comprising a base material such as a fabric that has a network of short length, small diameter metal fibers is taught in British Pat. No. 1,258,943. Other such structures wherein other fiber materials are deposited in a two dimensional array on foraminous base materials is also well known in the art. However, nowhere does the art teach an economical and efficient machine or method for making such laminate material with a preselected amount of fibers bonded to the base material. Quite surprisingly, accomplishing this task proved to be quite difficult.